Railway-switch.



No. 682,058. Patented Sept. 3, [90L J. W. GORDON.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

(Application filed. Apr. 10, 1901.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

INVENTOR J7/2n 6 0777017,

WITNESSES A TTOHN E YS m: ucRRIs Perms w., PNCHO-LIYNQ. wA NmzTm. n. c.

No. 682,058. Patented Sept. 3, 190i.

J. w. Gannon.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1901.) (No Model. 2 Sheets-Sheet -2.

W TNESS 5'. INVENTOH .foh Wdordon 4W ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. GORDON, OF MARIETTA, OHIO.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming m rneae s Patent No. 682,058, dated September a, 1901.

Applioation filed April 10,1901. $eria1No. 55,160- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. GORDON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Marietta, in the county of Washington and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Railway-Switch, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to switches for streetrailways and means for operating the switch from a moving car on the railway-track.

The object of my invention is to provide novel mechanism for a device of the character indicated which is practical in operation and which may be controlled from either end of a car, as may be desired.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is aside view of the lower portion of a street-railway car, a railway-track, and features of the improvement on the track and car engaged to operate a switch. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the main track and side track of a street-railway and of the improved switch shown connecting said tracks. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the railway and of switch mechanism thereon and an end elevation of a car in part,'showing details of the invention thereon. Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the im proved switch mechanism substantially on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of an end portion of the car, showing details of the invention thereon, the section being substantially on'the line 5 5 in Fig. 3.

In the drawings, 6 6 indicate the main-track rails, and 7 7 the side-track rails, connected to the main track by the improved switch mechanism, comprising the following details:

A preferably rectangular box 8 is embedded in the roadway between the main-track rails 6 and flush at the upper edge with said roadbed and held in place by bolts inserted through ears 8, formed on the ends of the box and screwed into tapped holes in plates or the like secured upon the cross-ties, as shown in Fig. 2. A frog 9 of the usual form is introduced at the j unction'of one side-track rail 7 with an adjacent main-track rail 6,.and a tongue 10 is pivoted by one end upon an end of the opposite side-track rail, said tongue being tapered laterally to provide a point at the free end of the same which may impinge upon the inner surface of said main-track rail. A cover-plate 11 is hinged by one end upon an appropriate end wall of the box 8, so that said plate may rock within the box, which it loosely covers, and essentially close the box at the top, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The cover-plate 11 is reduced in length at its free end, producing a lug or flange Ct at each side, and in the space thus provided a roller 12 is journaled by pivots that loosely engage within perforations in the lugsor flanges a, as indicated in Fig. 2, the body of the cylindrical roller projecting a suitable degree above the cover-plate, as shown in Fig. 4.

A rock-shaft 13 is held longitudinally in the box by a journaled engagement of its ends with suitable boxes 19, positioned intermediately of the side walls of the box, as best shown in Fig. 3. A crank-arm c is formed or secured upon the body of the rock-shaft 13, preferably nearer the free edge of the coverplate 11 than its hinged end. Upon the end of the crank-arm c a roller d is pivoted and is designed to bear upon the lower surface of the cover-plate 11 near the transverse roller 12. A second arm 6 is projected from the rockshaft 13 near the end wall of the box 8, upon which the cover-plate 11 is hinged, and upon the free end of this arm 6 one end of a pusherbar 14 is pivoted, the elongated body of said bar projecting loosely through an opening g in the end wall of the box 8, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The pusher-bar 14 is so relatively positioned as to locate its outer end adjacent to the free end or point of the tongue 10, from which a short lug depends, whereon the outer end of the pusher-bar is pivoted, as shown at h in Fig. 3. Upon the pusher-bar 14, outside of the box 8, a strong spiral spring 15 is mounted and secured by its end which is nearest to the tongue 10, the free end of said spring having enforced contact with the outer side of the box 8 where the bar passes loosely therethrough.

The proportion of parts should be such as will adapt the spring 15 to normally press the point of the tongue 10 against the side of the main-track rail 6 and so rock the shaft 13 as to dispose the arms a and a nearly upright, whereby the roller d is pressed with sufficient force against the cover-plate 11 to elevate its free end and the roller 12 a suitable distance above the top of the box 8, as shown in Fig. 4.

It will be seen that if pressure is applied upon the roller 12, so as to depress the coverplate 11, this in turn will rock the shaft 13 and pull upon the pusher-bar 14, compress the spring 15, and remove the point of the tongue 10 from the track-rail 6, thus opening the switch for passage of cars upon the main track through the switch.

In order to limit the depression of the free end of the cover-plate 11, abutments f are formed on the inner sides of the box 8,whereon the plate will seat after it has been rocked downward a proper distance. To enable a depression of the cover-plate 11 to be effected reliably by an operator on the car A as the car approaches the switch, a novel mechanism is located upon the car and comprises the following details: Upon the under side of each of the car-platforms A, near the outer end and transverse center thereof, a bracketarm 16 is secured, each bracket-arm having a member 17 hinged thereon, so as to depend from the lower portion of the arm. Upon the rockable members 17 a presser-bar 18 is secured, which is thus held parallel with the track-rails 6, and has sufficient length to adapt said presser-bar to extend a short distance in advance of each carplatform A. Near each end of the presser-bar 18 a curved lever 19 may be secured by one end, so as to project laterally and upwardly through the floor of a respective platform A, each curved arm, if two are provided, having a footpiece 'm on its upper end. Preferably each curved lever 19 is pivoted upon the depending member 17 of a respective bracket-arm 16, and between the ends of the resser-bar 18 a retractile spring 20 is secured by one end thereto, the opposite end of said spring being affixed upon the lower side of the carframe or floor of the car. It will be seen that the spring 20 normally holds the presser bar 18 rocked laterally and upwardly, which removes it from the railway-track, and at the same time the curved lever or levers 19 are projected up through the platforms A a corresponding degree.

In service as the car A on the main track approaches the switch and if it. is desired to pass the switch for traverse of the car upon said main track the operator on the front platform applies foot-pressure upon theupper end of the curved lever 19 and forcibly depresses it. The depression of the lever 19 correspondingly moves the resser-bar 18 downward, so that the sloped end of said presser-bar will impinge upon the roller 12 and push it, and with it the cover-plate 11, downward, and this downward movement will pull upon the bar 14, compress the spring 15, and remove the point of the tongue 10 from the main-track rail 6, as has already been explained. I

It will be seen that the position given to the box 8 and rockable cover-plate 11, together with the" length of the roller 12,v will adapt a car having the adjustable presserbar 18 thereon to depress said roller and cover-plate if the car is moving upon the main track in either direction, and thus open the switch, so that the car may pass it and continue moving on the main track. It will also be ob served that the car will leave the main track and pass upon the other track if the tongue 10 is left in normal adjustment,which maybe of advantage in many situations on a street= railway.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- l 1. In a device of the character described, the switch mechanism, comprising-a box positioned between the main-track rails, a rock able cover-plate on said box, a roller carried by the cover-plate at its free end, a rock-shaft pivoted in the box byits ends, an arm on said shaft, a roller pivoted on the free end of said arm and adapted to contact with the coverplate, a second armon the rock-shaft, a pusherbar projecting through a wall of the box and pivoted by one end on the second arm, the other end of said pusher-bar being pivoted upon a projection on the tongue near its point, and an expanding spring mounted upon the pusher-bar, and adapted to press said bar for closure of the tongue-point against the maintrack rail to which it is adjacent.

2. In a device of the character described, the switch-adjuster carried upon a car, comprising a presser-bar held to rock longitudinally of said car, by its attachment upon pivoted depending memberslof two bracket-arms secured near respective ends of the car, a retractile spring havingits ends respectively affixed upon the resser-bar and upon the car, and a curved lever loosely connected by one end with the presser-bar, and having its upper end extended through the platform of the car to receive foot-pressure.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN XV. GORDON.

Witnesses:

H. S. LYDICK, J. M. GoRBoY. 

